3 Key Takeaways From INMA’s World Congress of News Media in New York

The Jobbio team was in New York at the end of May to attend the INMA World Congress of News Media event.

A five day “horizon-defining conference”, The INMA World Congress attracts senior management from the leading news media companies across more than 50 countries.

Jobbio was in the room to talk about our revenue-driving Amply network product to CEOs, publishers, general managers, digital leaders, and advertising executives.

There really is no better time for publishers to look at diversifying their revenue streams as INMA says that for the publishing industry, 2023 marks a “midnight moment” in which it is neither today nor tomorrow.

Jobbio’s David McConvey (centre) attends the 2023 INMA conference

As news media moves towards an impactful all-digital universe, many vulnerabilities challenge and distract publishers from where they need to get to.

From the pandemic, supply chains, rising prices, falling ad revenues as well as subscription fatigue, there are also the tech challenges of embracing data, and maintaining brand integrity in a rapidly changing sphere.

These are just some of the motivations and challenges facing the industry. Three more key takeaways emerged from the talks and workshops at this year’s World Congress.

Rise of AI

As with concerns raised at 2023’s Digital Media Europe Conference, London’s PPA Festival and Digiday’s Colorado-based Publishing Summit, AI was a hot topic.

INMA says that the media should approach AI not as a “minimum viable product” but as a “minimum lovable product”. It offers opportunity, but brands have to remember their core values. Gert Ysebaert, the CEO of Belgium’s Mediahuis Group says, “We are not in content. We are in journalism.” That’s a good lens for the media to view AI platforms through.

Data, data, everywhere

Everyone knows that data is important: it helps publishers track customers, understand subscriptions, define and identify reader trends and give insights for the future, among many other things. Publishers, who are now shifting themselves into a tech mindset, may struggle with the hows and whys of data, though. Should they create bespoke solutions, or will they buy a third party solution? And who will be in charge––and how will value be measured?

Building and keeping trust

In a world where clickbait drives views and AI is rising to create copy and paste content, media has to retain its central purpose of being trustworthy. INMA says that The Trust Project has confirmed that trust brings engagement. That kicks into the fact that engagement brings loyalty––and loyalty brings revenue.

The publishing solution

Jobbio’s Amply network allows publishers an innovative way to engage and monetise their existing audience through the creation of a bespoke job board.

We build the tech, provide a feed of relevant jobs for their audience, and help you to drive engagement to your job board. Companies will pay to post their job on these job boards and get it in front of your readership. Publishers with valuable audiences are guaranteed a monthly revenue, plus CPC.